Of all directors who’ve made comic book adaptations, Corrado Farina might be the one who was most excited by comics as a totally free art form. His adaptation of cartoonist Guido Crepax’s adult Valentina is weird and dreamy and wears the day’s counterculture vibe like a fog of marijuana smoke. Crepax made comics with a strong cinematic influence. Close-ups, long-shots, varying angles. Even some of his characters are ringers for classic movie personalities. Brunette-bobbed lead character Valentina IS Louise Brooks, obviously. Farina makes a movie that converses with this. He uses bright colors and borrows from comic strip techniques, depicting some scenes as a series of still frames.
The story: A lesbian, S&M-minded witch (Carroll Baker) uses every piece of magic available to get a sexy young lady photographer (Isabelle De Funès) into her clutches. The setting: An outrageously fashionable early 1970s Milan, Italy. There are hipsters today who would give their first born for the painfully chic vintage lamps, furniture and clothing on display. The result: Some primo supremo Eurotrash.
And it’s the director’s cut, more or less. Before release, the producer chopped up his own version of the film that he felt moved at a faster pace. Afterward, Corrado Farina complained in the press about it and, fearful of their profits being hurt by the negative publicity, the money men grudgingly allowed him back into the editing room to fix the damage. Farina salvaged the film, but also never directed another feature again. The film business is a bigger and nastier witch than you’ll ever see in any movie.